Set Fire Run - Roki Road

"I know it will take me home"

Alienhits favorites Dyno have officially changed their name to Set Fire Run. I'm not really super excited or super annoyed (just sort of ambivalent), but it does give me an excuse to post another of their amazing pop songs. Roki Road has been around for awhile and is a prime example of this band's world-conquering synth-flavored sound. They are THE unjustly ignored band of 2010. Of course, they've yet to release much officially so I'm hoping that all this name-change business means that they're getting closer to invading radios (right where they should be). I feel like this is the full potential that the Killers never quite realized. The melodies are always tight, the production is flawless and the vocals are incredibly charismatic. This is definitely the kind of band I created this blog for.

Set Fire Run - Roki Road by alienhits

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Friend them (under their new name) on facebook here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Alienhits will be back on Friday. Everyone have a happy and safe holiday!

Pop Blitz 11/23/10

Michael Jackson - Hold My Hand (ft. Akon) C'mon, there's gotta be more interesting stuff in his vault than this. Take Akon out of this song and you'd have something much stronger. As it stands, this just sounds like anyone could sing it. I expect more from Michael. B-

JLS - Love You More
The singles from their first album weren't half bad, but the offerings from the second one have been (so far) pretty awful. This veers into boring Boyz II Men territory. I'm sure it's intentional, but I am not a fan. C-

September - Resuscitate Me
While nowhere near as strong as her very best singles, this is a welcome return for September. I'm actually liking this more and more each time I hear it. A-

Rihanna - What's My Name
A lazy song from a lazy album. It's pleasant enough, but a popstar of Rihanna's stature should aim higher than "pleasant." That being said, it's not something I would automatically turn off if it came on the radio. B

Olly Murs - Thinking Of Me
Now this I would turn off. Or maybe I would keep it on just to make fun of it. The lyrics are dire, the melody is plodding and I'm afraid this could be the last single he's allowed to release. But it does get bonus points for being very easy to mock. D+

Jesse McCartney - Shake
Jesse McCartney is definitely a guilty pleasure of mine. There's just enough kitsch in his music to make it enjoyable. I really shouldn't like this stupid song, but as usual with him, I do. B+

Nicole Scherzinger - Poison
Kudos to her for pulling a Bad Romance and throwing it all out there. This is far more interesting than I would have expected from her. I feel like it's got a pretty short shelf life, but for now it's kind of awesome. A-

The Potbelleez - Hello

"We're gonna lose control"

It's amazing what a band name can do. A good one gets me excited about the music before I've even heard a note. A bad one, like The Potbelleez, literally keeps me from listening to the band's work. I've known of this Irish/Australian dance group for awhile now (they're huge in Australia) but never bothered to listen to any of their music because I figured it would be as unappealing as their name. I guess they always say 'don't judge a book by its cover'... and I'll add 'don't judge a band by its name' because this is quite good. Hello is one of their most recent singles and it's a great radio-ready dance track. The melody and hook are about as simple as it gets, but the vocals and production are top notch. It's definitely a summer song, which is kind of ironic because it is snowing and bitter cold here at alienhits HQ right now. I guess I'm just imagining a beach somewhere.

The Potbelleez - Hello by alienhits

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy their albums here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.